Structural Steel Design

Plate Girders

Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate Girders
Deep girders
Three plates
Welded or bolted
Rolled sections not enough
Usually 3-20 deep
WWF sections in the handbook
can be used
Web buckling
stiffeners
Variable c/s

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate girder
stiffeners

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate Girders

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate Girders

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate Girders

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Bridge girders

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Beams in
Bridges

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Beams in Bridges

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate girders

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Fabrication

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate Girders
Steel plate girders
Class 3 flanges & class 4 webs
Reduce web area for Mr
Stiffen the web to increase Vr
Useful in pure bending as well as in
beam-columns
Design Clauses: CAN/CSA-S16
Bending strength as per
Clauses 13.6 & 7
Shear strength as per Clause 13.4
Local buckling check: Clause 11
(Table 2)
Special provisions: Clause 14
Deflection limits: Appendix D

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate buckling
Different types of buckling
depending on
b/t ratio
Webs and flanges have
different limits
end conditions for plate
segments
Use Table 2 for beams and
beam-columns

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate Girders

Slender webs
buckle easily
due to shear or
bending
Use reduced
effective c/s
or
Use reduced
capacity

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate Girders

Slender webs
buckle easily
due to shear or
bending

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Web buckling

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate
Girders

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate
Girders

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Stiffeners are Important

June 1970, Milford Haven bridge over the River

Cleddau in the UK

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri

Plate
Girders
Recall compression
field action in reinforced
concrete beams
Compression struts
develop because of
the presence of
stirrups
Plate girder tension field
action develops
because of the
placement of vertical
(and horizontal)
stiffeners

Plate girders -Dr. Seshu Adluri